Not Going Out star Lee Mack once issued a stark warning to telly bosses about the future of TV.
The comedian – who hosts The 1% Club tonight (Saturday, February 8) – issued the dire caution during an interview in 2023.
Lee Mack issues warning on TV future
During an interview with The Times back in December 2023, Lee spoke of his fears for the future of sitcoms in the ever-changing TV landscape.
The star’s own sitcom, Not Going Out, has proven to be a huge success since its launch in 2006. It has run for 13 seasons, with a 14th on the way.
However, not all sitcoms have had the success Lee’s has enjoyed.
In the interview, Lee immediately pointed out who was to blame – “middle-class” commissioners and journalists who don’t understand the “working-class art” of the sitcom.
“Since Not Going Out started in 2006, broadsheet snobs have been asking: ‘How can this show be on television in this modern age?’ That’s not the question. The question is, what is it about this show that is winding you up? Audiences love this sort of comedy,” he argued.
‘It’s going to die’
Lee then went on to speak about the importance of writing what you know.
“They always say write what you know and that is true to a degree. But the much more important thing is to understand how to write a story. And we have no young comics coming through who really see, let alone want to write, studio sitcoms,” he said.
If we’re not careful it’s going to die.
“It really is an art — a working-class art, I’d argue. And if we’re not careful it’s going to die,” he then added.
Lee did have a point. In 1984, 60 sitcoms were commissioned. In 2004, it was seven. At the time of the interview in 2023, it was zero.
Read more: Not Going Out star Lee Mack on ‘creepy’ reason ‘things had to change’ on hit TV show
The 1% Club airs tonight at 8.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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